Creigiau 02/04 September

Two evenings trapping, the best of which was 50 moths of 26 species. The catch included Canary-shouldered Thorn, Centre-barred Sallow (a new moth for me), Feathered Gothic (new for the year), Pale Mottled Willow and Rosy Rustic (new for the year). Large Yellow Underwing was again dominant with 12 specimens.

Cypress Pug and Pale Mottled Willow

These were from last night's session in our garden in Bridgend:-

Cypress Pug

Pale Mottled Willow

Bridgend overnight 02Sep14

Last night, we celebrated the 300th trapping in the garden since we began back in 2004. The highlight was a life moth for us in the form of a lovely Cypress Pug.

Conditions much warmer last night and we enjoyed over 100 individuals of 26 species. Although dominated by Light Brown Apple moths, Large Yellow Underwing and Brimstone, the session was enlivened by new for the year in the form of Spruce Carpet, Square-spot Rustic and a nice Pale Mottled Willow (first since 2008).

Other highlights: Emmelina monodactyla, Dusky Thorn, Light Emerald, Gothic, Copper Underwing, Angle Shades, Silver Y and Straw Dot.

Mike & Emma

Gorseinon

This is the joint latest record for this species and surprisingly is only the 25th record for the county; the specimen I caught at Park Mill on 3rd Sept 1996 was at a time when I was recording the date I checked the trap rather than date I set it. Interestingly this specimen has two dots in the median band

44 species last night, the highlight being a Barred Hook-tip, only our second new species for the garden this year, although a serious lack of trapping since July might have something to do with it. Unsurprisingly Large Y.U. was the commonest species (87), followed by Lesser Y.U. (45), postvittana (18) and Flame Shoulder (10) the only other species making double figures. 1 ferrugalis and 2 Silver Y were the only migrants.

Parc slip.

                                    Acleris rhombana

                                   Firethorn leaf miner.
                                   Seems like a fresh emergence of micros the last few days,
                                   with several of the above and Epinotia tenerana and
                                   Celypha lacunana numerous also.

Creigiau 30 August

13C when I put the box out but as the sky cleared the temperature dropped to approx 7C so another quiet night. 33 moths of 18 species, again dominated by the yellow underwings ( 9 'large' and 2 each of 'lesser' and 'lesser broad-bordered').

Marbled Beauty was a 'first for the year' but the highlight was a very pretty Pyrausta purpuralis - at least that's what I think it was - which is new for me.

Cefn Bryn, Gower

Camped with friends at a farm on the edge of Cefn Bryn at the weekend and to be extra-geeky we set the MV on Saturday night. Started off very mild but the skies cleared and temperature dropped fairly quickly. Dozens of bats overhead and in the morning there were 92 moths of 20 species with exactly half of the total made up of large yellow underwings. Highlights were probably my first centre-barred sallow of the late summer (refuse to call it autumn just yet), copper underwing, flounced rustic, angle shades and rusty-dot pearl.